Tag: Permafrost

Iceberg, SvalbardSvalbard is a small archipelago whose climate is influenced by two sources of surface ocean water: (a) The West Spitsbergen Current, moving warm water along the West Coast; (b) East Greenland Current, bringing cold water...

By Peter Prokosch

Remnants of a village and former Stalin camp, SiberiaPermafrost is a layer of earth that remains frozen solid throughout the entire year. Recent observations show that permafrost temperatures have increased during the last 20-30 years in almost all areas of the Northern He...

By Peter Prokosch

Polygon Tundra, Lena DeltaPolygon Lakes in the Arctic Tundra are unique to permafrost areas and form as a result of the freeze-thaw cycle that occurs here. With a layer of frozen earth below, water becomes trapped in pools on the surface.
The am...

By Peter Prokosch

Permafrost soil stone formations, KongsfjordPermafrost is a layer of soil or rock that remains frozen throughout the entire year and is found at the North and South Poles and in some alpine areas. The patterns on the ground are caused by a complex cycle of freezin...

By Peter Prokosch

Local ice fishermen in a permafrost cave, SiberiaSoil in the far Northern permafrost can be frozen several hundred meters deep. Permafrost soil has a constant year-round temperature of 0 degrees or lower and forms a solid foundation for building upon. Some permafrost c...

By Peter Prokosch

Wet Tundra at Northern Yamal, Russian Arctic.The Tundra is home to a very unique ecosystem, where the sun shines all day or not at all and wind blows constantly. Permafrost creates poor drainage in these areas meaning that the ground turns into soggy bogs in Summer...

By Peter Prokosch

Sinking seawallAs higher storm surges reach shore, Shishmaref is shrinking by around 3m every year. The man-made protective sea wall seen here has done little to help. The villagers of Shishmaref are facing relocation, which is estimat...

By Lawrence Hislop

Abandoned home near the coast of ShishmarefThe town's homes, water system and infrastructure in Shishmaref are being destroyed by a rising tide, to the point where homes are being abandoned as they literally fall into the ocean. Residents can do nothing to stop t...

By Lawrence Hislop

Aerial view of the old runway now used for housingShishmaref is facing evacuation due to rising temperatures which are melting and destroying the protective barrier of sea ice that keeps sea surges away from the island.
The runway of the international airport, visibl...

By Lawrence Hislop

Houses collapsing due to coastal erosionThe situation in Shishmaref is not helped by the fact that in addition to the encroaching ocean swells, the melting of Permafrost (the frozen layer of earth and rock that exists in perennial cold climates) destabilizes t...

By Lawrence Hislop

Aerial view of ShishmarefThis image is of the village of Shishmaref in N. Alaska, which has been inhabited for 400 years and is a small, low-lying island 400m wide and 4km long situated off the North-East coast of Alaska.
Shishmaref is facin...